Saturday, December 17, 2011

Santa at Southpoint Mall

What it is: It's definitely a tradition with our family to go see Santa at the mall every year. I love to look back at pictures of me from my childhood wearing all manner of frilly dresses sitting on Santa's lap with my sister. So, I have continued that tradition with my boys. This year, we headed back to Southpoint to visit Santa at the mall, but there are many other options in town. (We'll get to those later.)

We initially stopped by on the weekend, but the line was far too long. It stretched all the way around the display and people looked like they had been in line a LONG time. They had camped out with activities and snacks for their kids. We weren't quite up for that, so we decided to head back on a weekday. This time, the line was MUCH better. It looked pretty short, but it still took longer than I thought.

Once we got to the front of the line we were ushered in front of Santa. I was trying to get both of my boys on Santa's lap, but after much screaming, I realized my youngest son would have none of it. However, they did let me take all the snapshots I wanted of my oldest with Santa. The big guy handed the boys some coloring books as we left and we were done. Afterward, we could have stuck around to wait and see the professional pictures that they had taken and purchased some, but we headed off instead.

What we liked: While I'd heard rumors that they weren't going to allow us to take our own pictures this year and the signs said something to that effect, they didn't mind and we were able to capture the moment ourselves. It was nice that they let the kids sit on Santa's lap without charging just for the experience. However, it was also nice that you could purchase the professional pictures if you wanted. In addition, there were signs offering pet pictures with Santa on given nights. That would be a nice option for anyone who's furry friend needed a little visit with St. Nick. :)

What we would change: The lines are always pretty painful, so I would definitely recommend a weekday. In addition, I felt like everyone involved could have been a little more helpful and hands-on with the whole process. They just stood back and didn't give us much guidance at most times.

Website and other important information:

Website: We know that there are so many options for your mall Santa visit, so we wanted to give you information on them all. Head to http://durham.macaronikid.com/#axzz1gr8duyfw for information about when and where you can find Santa including information on Santa at Southpoint.